The two children spoke without restraint. Shu Ying came out of the house and saw that they were still at the door. She called the two little ones to wash their hands and eat.
Yangyang drank a bowl of soup, and Shuying offered him a second bowl, but he refused to drink any more.
"The soup was salty today and didn't taste good at all, but Aunt Song's cooking was delicious. Mom, I'm really full now. My sister and I are going to play with little brother Tuantuan."
Ding Rumei's face flushed red and then turned pale. She picked up a spoon and scooped a large piece of pork rib into her bowl.
"How can someone so small tell the difference between good and bad food? It only tastes good when there's too much salt. Such good meat would be a waste if it didn't have any flavor."
Shu Ying's expression remained unchanged as she collected the children's bowls and simply instructed, "The children are at a crucial stage of their growth, so they shouldn't eat too much salt right now. Our family usually eats a light diet, so please be mindful of that next time you cook, cousin."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at the pickled peppers on the table and said, "If you prefer a stronger flavor, I can make two other dishes that suit your taste, but please don't put peppers in every dish."
Yueyue choked on her food during dinner, and her face turned red. The two little ones love to eat, and this was the only time they didn't eat well.
Ding Rumei was worried that Shu Ying might make her leave again if she disagreed with her, so she just said dismissively, "I know, I'll put less next time."
Shu Ying got up from the dining table, picked out some good fruit, and said goodbye to Song Zhaodi before leaving.
"Sister Song, I happen to have some time today, so I'll go for a visit next door. I took the fruit you bought this morning with me. If the children come back looking for me, you can take them next door."
Song Zhaodi nodded, connected a long water pipe from the yard, and deftly carried the quilts that were drying outside back into the house.
"Then you go ahead, I'll stay here at home."
The house behind is where Liu Xiulan and Zhang Hongxia live. They had just finished dinner and were discussing doing some handicrafts when Shu Ying greeted them from the doorway with fruit in her hand.
"Sister Liu, we bought some extra fruit this morning. We thought it would go bad if we didn't finish it, so we brought some over to you and Sister Zhang."
Liu Xiulan had originally wanted to spend more time with Shu Ying, but seeing that she had come over first, she quickly grabbed a stool and said, "Come in quickly, have you had dinner yet?"
Shu Ying placed the washed fruit on the table next to her, sat between the two of them, and started chatting about everyday things.
"I just ate, and the two kids went out to play, so I came over to visit."
Liu Xiulan glanced out of her yard; the two little ones were nowhere to be seen. With a smile on her face, she lit the hemp rope used to repel mosquitoes, which emitted a faint scent of dried herbs.
"I've been wanting to visit your two kids for a while, but you've been quite busy lately. The two little ones are very polite; they greet people as soon as they see them from afar."
When talking about her child, Shu Ying's words revealed a hint of pride.
"These two children were easy to take care of from the moment they were born, and they didn't require much of my energy. Zhang's children are already in school, right?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com